For the Love of Minor League Baseball
Travel Blog • Jenna Schnuer • 05.18.09 | 3:15 PM ET
Kane County Cougars. Photo by The Albuquerque Isotopes. The Clearwater Threshers. The Dayton Dragons.
Ah, minor league baseball. The team names alone are joy. The experience? That much better. While I’ve always found it a bit ho-hum to attend a major league game for a team that wasn’t my hometown favorite, minor league games feel more neutral.
They’re about hanging out eating stuff you shouldn’t eat on a (hopefully) beautiful spring or summer night and (hopefully) getting to see a little magic when some not-so-known player smacks one out or looks like he has the potential to pitch a perfect game. They’re about relaxing. And just kind of being in a place with, mostly, the people who live there.
Minor league games feel out of time. They feel hopeful.
No, not trying to be all Pollyanna-ish about it. Well, maybe a little. (I’ll admit to a bit of MLB overbloated stadium, ticket price, and player news fatigue.) In the minors, the stadiums may have some minor bells and whistles but there are also bouncy castles (at some) , decently priced hot dogs (at most), and, the best bit of the bunch, entire teams of players who still seem to get at least some joy out of playing baseball. Oh, and cheap tickets. And local fans who don’t start bitching about the ticket prices the minute the team falls a few runs behind. Instead, they root for them harder. They will them to win.
And then there are those names. No matter where you’re from, you can’t tell me you don’t want a T-shirt proclaiming your love for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
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Freelancer Jenna Schnuer writes about travel, food, culture, books, and life's quirky bits (and bites) for publications including American Way, National Geographic Traveler, Southern Living, and many others. She also co-writes Flyover America, a site filled with quieter stories from around the U.S. Send Jenna an email or, if you're so inclined, follow her on Twitter.
Jodi 05.18.09 | 3:39 PM ET
Kansas City T-Bones! 2008 Northern League Champions!
Bouncy castles included with price of admission. Free parking. General Admission seating is a hill.
Jenna Schnuer 05.18.09 | 3:48 PM ET
OMG—T-Bones! The names just get better and better. Do they sell BBQ aprons emblazoned with their logo? If so, I want.
Jodi 05.18.09 | 4:38 PM ET
I don’t see an apron in the online store, although it does have many other fine selections. Also, May 31 is cowbell giveaway night.
Sophia Dembling 05.19.09 | 11:38 AM ET
And as we all know, you can never have too much cowbell.
I like HS sports team names, too. Like the Lewisville (Texas) Fighting Farmers.
tom swick 05.19.09 | 5:44 PM ET
My favorites: The Little Rock Travelers and the Asheville Tourists.
tom swick 05.19.09 | 5:51 PM ET
I meant of course the Arkansas Travelers.
Jenna Schnuer 05.19.09 | 5:55 PM ET
I’m sure the Travelers will forgive you. (Thanks for chiming in on the fun.) And now, if they make them—and if they don’t they should—I want luggage stickers from the Travelers and the Tourists to go with my T-Bones apron, my IronPigs t-shirt (or, perhaps, door stop?), and….on and on.
Big Sur Real Estate 05.20.09 | 7:59 PM ET
I have to agree with you. There is something about a minor league game that is so easy going and less stress than a MLB game. Maybe it is the fact that I did not pay $50 for tickets just to be able to see the game. Then shell out another $20 for parking, $10 for a beer, $10 for hot dogs and nachos.
Go River Cats!
Jenna Schnuer 05.26.09 | 1:30 PM ET
An interesting minor league read:
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/heart-of-the-game-qa-with-sl-price/?hp
(And River Cats—another good name!)